During a Dec. 6 interview with CHTM Radio, Mayor Colleen Smook narrowed down the timeline for the upcoming local byelection that will determine who is going to get the last seat on city council.
According to Smook, the City of Thompson has to wait two weeks before the election is officially called, followed by a 30-day period to give prospective candidates enough time to register.
Combined with another 30-day window to allow these candidates to properly campaign, and Smook said Thompson residents won’t be going to the polls until at least February 2019.
This news follows on the heels of the latest local municipal election, which culminated on Oct. 24 and resulted in two candidates, Chiew Chong and Andre Proulx, receiving exactly 1,008 votes apiece for the final seat on council.
After a judicial recount failed break this tie, the City of Thompson had no choice but to call a byelection that will allow any local resident who is a Canadian Citizen and over the age of 18, not just Chong and Proulx, to potentially fill this seat.
The current iteration of council, including Mayor Smook and seven councillors, were officially sworn in on Nov. 7 and have already conducted business at a handful of regular meetings since then.
